Bad Outcomes In Rush To Register Voters

I read with interest Elizabeth Leete's letter regarding the motor voter program and noncitizens unwittingly registering to vote [May 18, "Law Dangerous For Noncitizens"]. I too have come across a few instances where a letter from my office was needed for deportation hearings due to noncitizens having invalidly registered.

The apparent rush by state and federal legislators and the secretary of the state to register as many people as possible -- with only a person's signature required to attest to their citizenship -- not only puts noncitizens at risk for deportation but also has great potential to dilute the votes of legal citizens.

The secretary of the state's latest agreement with the DMV for automatic voter registration, despite DMV's testimony that such a program could not likely be accommodated in the near future, could well lead to even more noncitizens registering to vote, especially since they would have to opt out of doing so.

Additionally, valid registrations or not, signing up hundreds of thousands of new voters for whom registering to vote has not heretofore been any priority will almost certainly lead to even further reductions in the voter turnout percentage.

The zeal to register new voters is a worthy endeavor, but doing so responsibly should take a higher priority.